Improved boot-lacing device



@uitrit tetes @strut @ffice ALENDO McKEN N EY, PORTLAND, AND SETI-ICARPENTER, 0F PATTEN,

' MAINE.

Letters Patent No. 66,099, dated June 25, 1867.

IMPROVED BOOT-LAGING DEVICE.

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TO ALL-WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be itknown that we, ALEsDo McKExNnr, of Portland, Cumberland county, andSeru Caliri-zx'ri-zn, of Patten, Penobscot'county, all in the State ofMaine, have Vinvented an improved Boot-Lacing Device; and we do herebydeclarethat the following, taken in connection with the drawings whichaccompany and forni part of this specification, is a description of ourinvention snlicient to enable those skilled in the art to practise it.

The invention relates to the consti-action and operation oi' adetachable device to be applied to that class of boots which laee, forthe purpose of enabling the lacing to be more easily tightened andloosened when' the boot is upon the Foot, such device consisting ot' aloose ringr connected by a link to a button, cach ring and lihk'beinginserted through the upper at a suitable distance from the laced edge,and being pressed through to the edge, between the lining and vamp,leaving the series of rings projecting from the opposite edges to belaced, each ring being loosed with respect to the link, but held inposition relatively to the edge oll` the boot by the button at theopposite end of the link. Through a series ot' these rings the lacing ispassed, it being carried from Side to side and from ring to ring, as inthe ordinary manner-of lacing through holes punched through the edges tobe brought together.

It is in the construction and employment ot' such adrawing that ourinvention consist-s.

The drawing represents a bootY having our device applied thereto, adetail view showing the device separated from the boot.

ya. denotes a. button or head, having a long link or eye, It, fixed toits under side. lo this link,- a ring, c, is applied, the ring hangingloosely therefrom. In the outer leather or vamp d, at each opposite sideof the boot opening e, holesf are made, as seen, where one ot' thebuttons is broken et?, each hole extending through the vamp, and heiligot' a size sullicient to admit the link and its ring, or so that thelink and ring may be passed through it, and between the vampandthe'lining to the edge, as shown in the drawing, the button holdingthe link in place, and a space-at the edge beingleft unstitched for eachlink and ring, as will be readily understood. (The ring may, however, bemade with provision for 'slipping it on to the link after the link isinserted.) When the rings are thus attached to the boot the lacing orlacings are run through them, as shown in the drawings. The boot beingnow placed on the foot, (the lacing being loosened.) the upper end ofthe lacing is drawn up, and it will readily be seen that the ringsbeingloose they assume position in accordance with the gradualstraightening ofthe lacing as the opposite edges of the boot are drawntogether, and the strain produced thereby., and that by simply drawingupon `the lacing at'the top ofthe boot the lacing will readily renderthrough all the rings instead of having to draw upon it. gradually,v orat every lacing hole or everyfew holes, as in the common method otlacing. When a pair of boots is worn and discarded the buttons and ringsmay be detached from said boots and placed in another pair, and `beingvery strong they maybe inn-de to wear for a great length of time.' n iNow we are aware that metal eyes or loopster lacing have been fastenedpermanently to boots., but beside being expensive from thefact thatbeing undetachable they had to be thrown away when the boots were wornont, the eye part in each was made removable relatively to the edge ofthe boot, and having a fixed angle of projection from such edge itlcould not yield in position to the varying position of the lacing orfrom the very zigzag position of the lacing when loose, to its graduallystraightening position when tightened, and hence there was toogreatfriction when trying to draw it througball the eyes or loopssimultaneously to enable it to render freely, whereas with our device,as the rings are` loose, they all yield to the direction of strain uponVthem.

We claim a shoe-lacing device constructed to operate substantially asset forth.A

, ALENDO MCKENNEY, sE'rH CARPENTER.

Witnesses:

J. B. CROSBY F. GoULD.

